Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgrade and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $577 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index

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Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$577

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgrade and in Zanzibar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Belgrade and in Zanzibar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Belgrade vs $577 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Belgrade $1,538
Zanzibar $577

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Belgrade vs $857 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Belgrade $2,321
Zanzibar $857

A family of three spends $3,105 per month in Belgrade vs $1,137 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Belgrade $3,105
Zanzibar $1,137

Belgrade costs about 167% more than Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Belgrade sits 15% above the global median, while Zanzibar is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 RSD 1,389

$4.78 TZS 12.5K

178.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.4 RSD 6,085

$21.74 TZS 57.0K

168.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 RSD 1,414

$5.54 TZS 14.5K

145.13%

Cappuccino

$3.13 RSD 326

$2.21 TZS 5,810

41.63%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 RSD 288

$0.60 TZS 1,568

361.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 RSD 237

$0.33 TZS 874

587.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 RSD 390

$1.91 TZS 4,999

96.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 RSD 456

$2.72 TZS 7,135

61.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RSD 146

$2.04 TZS 5,357

-31.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 RSD 122

$0.72 TZS 1,902

62.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 RSD 282

$0.83 TZS 2,185

226.51%

Eggs

$2.78 RSD 289

$2.68 TZS 7,044

3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 RSD 1,184

$7.54 TZS 19.8K

50.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 RSD 731

$2.21 TZS 5,803

217.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 RSD 1,638

$6.12 TZS 16.1K

156.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 173

$2.86 TZS 7,493

-41.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 RSD 188

$1.11 TZS 2,918

63.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RSD 190

$0.75 TZS 1,967

144.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 RSD 326

$0.59 TZS 1,556

430.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 RSD 91.3

$0.98 TZS 2,581

-10.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 RSD 70.3

$1.48 TZS 3,871

-54.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RSD 84.4

$0.75 TZS 1,960

8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 70.9

$0.49 TZS 1,283

38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.78 RSD 498

$2.06 TZS 5,403

132.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 RSD 889

$9.28 TZS 24.4K

-7.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RSD 97.7

$1.54 TZS 4,043

-38.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RSD 150

$1.31 TZS 3,428

9.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 TZS 817

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 RSD 322

$3.70 TZS 9,701

-16.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 RSD 107

$0.79 TZS 2,073

29.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.18 RSD 1,789

$2.62 TZS 6,862

555.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RSD 195

$1.27 TZS 3,339

47.24%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

$48.8K TZS 128.0M

-50.27%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$218 RSD 22.7K

$73.3 TZS 192.4K

196.88%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.24 RSD 2,629

$11.35 TZS 29.8K

122.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 RSD 3,683

$49.97 TZS 131.1K

-29.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 RSD 4,351

$29.66 TZS 77.8K

40.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RSD 882

$9.71 TZS 25.5K

-12.77%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$426 RSD 44.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 RSD 11.6K

$12.93 TZS 33.9K

759.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 RSD 4,791

$17.28 TZS 45.3K

166.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 RSD 12.4K

$15.25 TZS 40.0K

681.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 RSD 16.0K

$13.08 TZS 34.3K

1076.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 RSD 85.6K

$149 TZS 389.9K

452.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 RSD 58.4K

$99.0 TZS 259.8K

466.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

$201 TZS 528.4K

650.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$942 RSD 98.1K

$150 TZS 393.4K

528.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

$37.6K TZS 98.6M

-85.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

-72.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

$313 TZS 820.4K

292.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

-53.90%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Belgrade

$561 35.5%

Zanzibar

$99 17% 82.3% $462

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgrade

$278 17.6%

Zanzibar

$135 23.1% 51.6% $144

Groceries & Markets

Belgrade

$246 15.6%

Zanzibar

$164 28.2% 33.2% $82

Eating Out

Belgrade

$233 14.7%

Zanzibar

$100 17.2% 57% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Belgrade

$194 12.3%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 86.4% $167

Sport & Entertainment

Belgrade

$59 3.7%

Zanzibar

$49 8.4% 16.4% $9.6

Getting Around

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5%

Zanzibar

$8.9 * 1.5% 8.3% $0.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $821 in Belgrade versus $149 in Zanzibar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 293% higher in Belgrade, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade versus $22.00 in Zanzibar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $164 – making Zanzibar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

1 h ahead of Belgrade

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,197,714 Capital

709,809

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.57 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,624 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD). 1 EUR = 2,940 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belgrade Zanzibar 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgrade
Zanzibar

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Belgrade vs Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,538 in Belgrade, $577 in Zanzibar – roughly 167% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,307 per month in Belgrade and $865 in Zanzibar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zanzibar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Belgrade and $22.00 in Zanzibar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,538 in Belgrade and $577 in Zanzibar. That's a gap of about 167%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zanzibar, where all-in costs run around $577, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Zanzibar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zanzibar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Zanzibar. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.